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Kel-Morian Combine
Moria Terran Confederacy (2489—2500; many mining guilds annexed into the Confederacy after the Guild Wars) Terran Dominion (03/2500—09/2500) |strength=Kel-Morian Armed Forces |capital=Moria |language= |currency=Credits |holiday= |formed=Kelanis Guild and Morian Mining Coalition |established= |fragmented= |reorganized=*2489 (itself as a mining coalition under Confederate "protection") *March 2500 (itself as a mining coalition under Dominion rule) |dissolved= |restored=September 2500 (after the UED conquest of the Dominion) |status=Active }} The Kel-Morian Combine (KMC) is the name of the terran faction controlling the planet Moria. The Kel-Morian Combine is commanded by General Mah Sakai. History Moria established contact with Tarsonis after sixty years of development. The following economic boom resulted in the creation of numerous family guilds. Using shady tactics, the larger guilds began eliminating the competition until only the Kelanis Guild and Morian Mining Coalition dominated the economy.Blizzard Entertainment. 2010-07-24. Koprulu Sector Systems: Moria. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2010-07-24. When the Terran Confederacy was founded, the Morian colony, which had benefited from having the largest resource mining operations in the Koprulu Sector, began to fear that this new Confederacy might attempt to move in and regulate their lucrative operations. Thus the Kel-Morian Combine was formed from the two most powerful guilds: the Kelanis Guild and the Morian Mining Coalition; it was a shady, corporate partnership that would supply military aid to any Mining Guild that was oppressed by Confederate policy. Led by General Mah Sakai, the two groups also banded together in order to maximize their ability to drain the resources from the numerous worlds within the sector. The line between corporation and government vanished. Tensions heated up as the Confederacy continually stole Kel-Morian mining operations from locations such as the Paladino Belt and the world of Sonyan, actions internally justified that the Combine was composed of pirates and other criminals.McNeill, Graham (December 30, 2008). StarCraft: I, Mengsk. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 1416-55083-6. The Combine planned on war with the Confederacy so it could control all the scarce resources.Dietz, William C. (April 6, 2010). StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. The Combine became increasingly antagonistic towards the Confederacy over its actions. The Guild Wars :Main article: The Guild Wars The war started when the Confederacy tried to steal the Noranda Glacier vespene operation on Onuru Sigma. The Confederates feared the Kel-Morian Combine had planned something big there. Alpha Squadron captain Edmund Duke and Dominion section lieutenant Arcturus Mengsk led an attack force, which fell into a carefully prepared ambush. The Confederates destroyed the complex when brigade-sized ground forces and battlecruisers descended onto the field of battle, forcing their retreat. This marked the official beginning of the Guild Wars. During the war, Kel-Morian Combine soldiers, known as rippers, continually made raids on Confederate bases, often more interested in plunder than in military victory.Dietz, William C. (April 6, 2010). StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. As the war drew on, it became obvious that the Combine couldn't last. The Guild Wars lasted for nearly four years, and battles took place on planets such as Mar Sara2008-01-28. Biography (Terran, Jim Raynor). Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2008-01-28. and Char.2008-6-17. Char. Official StarCraft II Website. Accessed 2008-6-17. Aftermath of the Guild Wars The Confederacy eventually "negotiated" peace with the Combine. Although the Combine retained its autonomy, almost all of its supporting Mining Guilds were annexed into the holdings of the Confederacy, along with worlds such as Mar Sara.Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04148-7. The Umojan colony, fearing the Confederacy's power, created the Umojan Protectorate in response. The Combine became the largest non-Confederate organization operating within terran space. Equipped with thousands of armed troops and hardware, the Combine strictly enforced its myriad territorial operations. It was rumored that the Combine actually supplied the Confederacy with fuels and resources. So great was their political influence, the Confederate forces were banned from prosecuting the Combine for any potentially criminal action. Nonetheless, the Combine was effectively a shadow of what it once was; it was strength that even over a decade later, they were not able to regain.Brian Kindregan, Eldorian. 2010-10-28. Blizzcon: Interview with StarCraft 2 Lead Writer Brian Kindregan. Blizzplanet. Accessed 2010-10-31. Servitude and Independence During the Great War, the Confederacy was overthrown by the Sons of Korhal, which became the Terran Dominion. Moria came under Dominion rule when the Kel-Morian Combine rallied to Emperor Mengsk's banner.Underwood, Peter, Chris Metzen and Bill Roper. StarCraft: Brood War (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. The Dominion Engineering Corps, an arm of the Kel-Morian Combine, assisted the Dominion by constructing a number of space stations for them.1998-10-09. Catwalk Alley. StarCraft Compendium Map Archives. Accessed 2007-07-05.1998-12-22. Gemini Station. StarCraft Compendium Map Archives. Accessed 2007-10-14. During the Brood War and the United Earth Directorate's domination of the Sector, the Combine did not clash with the UED, which Fenix found a surprising example of terran greed.Fenix: "It is strange that this Kel-Morian Combine continues to operate while the UED grips the Dominion with an iron fist. I'll never underestimate the motivational effects of Terran greed again!" StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Kel-Morian Combine (mission) (in English). 1998. The zerg, having been weakened by the UED's now-destroyed Psi Disrupter, staged a fuel raid on Moria. Their Queen, Kerrigan, needed a substantial cache of resources in order to build up her primary hive clusters for an assault on the UED-occupied world of Korhal. Praetor Fenix, engaged in an unusual alliance with Kerrigan, led the assault on Moria, bypassing the Combine's defenses and harvesting a large quantity of minerals. Kerrigan's zerg infested as many of their command centers as possible.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Kel-Morian Combine (in English). 1998. Interbellum Operations The Combine achieved independence from the Dominion and competed with it for influence.Metzen, Chris; Chambers, Andy; StarCraft Legacy staff. 2009-04-03. BlizzCon 2007 StarCraft Lore Panel Editorial. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2009-05-18. It feared the Dominion would attack its poorly-defended planets, viewing war with the Dominion as inevitable. It continued to claim more worlds nonetheless; the Combine began salvaging Mar Sara2007-08-03. StarCraft II Single-Player Campaign BlizzCon Preview. Gamespot. Accessed 2007-08-07. in 2502,Blizzard Entertainment. 2010-07-24. Koprulu Sector Systems: Mar Sara. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2010-07-24. as soon as the planet was declared habitable after the destruction wrought by the zerg and protoss.Knaak, Richard A. (w), Washio, Naohiro (p, i). "Thundergod." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 1 (paperback binding), pp. 48–93. Tokyopop, August 1, 2008. ISBN 978-1427-80721-2. The KMC also mined Chau Sara.2008-7-24. Mar Sara. Official StarCraft II Website. Accessed 2008-7-24. The Combine frequently came into economic conflict with the Terran Dominion, sabotaging their mining operations with nuclear weapons. Kel-Morian spies were known to arm themselves with nuclear detonators, blowing themselves up if captured.Waugh, James. "Changeling." (November 18, 2009). Blizzard Entertainment. Changeling: A Short Story by James Waugh Accessed 2009-11-18. The Combine valued alliance with opponents of the Terran Dominion, and struck an alliance of sorts with Jim Raynor c. 2502. Its leaders spent much time discussing matters with him. Raynor did not remain, however. Afterward the Combine continued to cover for Raynor.Furman, Simon (w), Federico Dallocchio (p, i), Milen Parvanov (col). "StarCraft #2" StarCraft 1 (2) (June 24, 2009) DC Comics (Wildstorm). Conflict with the zerg was viewed as another inevitability.Blizzard Entertainment staff. 2008-04-16. The Story so Far... Part 2: The Brood War. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2008-04-16. Despite its sparring with the Dominion, the Combine was capable of operating with it to an extent. Both Dominion and Kel-Morian citizens dwelt on Meteor Station (albeit with a degree of tension)Randolph, Grace (w), Seung-hui Kye (p, i). "Last Call." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 3 (paperback binding), pp. 90-131. Tokyopop, July 14, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-80832-5. and both sides cooperated against the Players' Club, a pirate band which attacked both sides.Neilson, Micky. "Stealing Thunder." (Oct. 13, 2010). Blizzard Entertainment. Stealing Thunder Accessed 2010-10-22. The Combine invited the Dominion to Mar Sara to help deal with piracy and mining camp revolts,2008-7-24. Mar Sara. Official StarCraft II Website. Accessed 2008-7-24. partly due to the Combine's workers having a great deal of spare time on their hands. Tensions still existed, the reasons including the Dominion shutting down the Combine's salvaging of the Jacobs Installation, the reasons having been put under Level Black censoring. Things came to a head in 2504, when the Dominion annexed the planet.Metzen, Chris (w), Hector Sevilla (p, i). "Homecoming." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 4 (paperback binding), pp. 6-27. Tokyopop, October 1, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-81698-6. The Second Great War Not long after the annexation, the Second Great War began. During the conflict, the Kel-Morian Combine abandoned numerous outlying worldsBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. UNN newscast after "The Devil's Playground." (in English). 2010. including worlds such Meinhoff, which became a refugee planet before it was infested by the zerg,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Outbreak (in English). 2010-07-27. and Redstone III.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, The Devil's Playground (in English). 2010-07-27. Retired general referred to the KMC as "useless".Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. UNN newscast after "Safe Haven." (in English). 2010.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. UNN newscast after "Haven's Fall." (in English). 2010. It was a shared sentiment, as market confidence slumped. The Combine had some success on a space platform above Braxis Alpha, where its ghosts used nuclear missiles to obliterate both Dominion and protoss forces. The ghosts were subsequently overwhelmed by the zerg however.2007-05-19. Gameplay Trailer. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-08-12. Meteor Station went the same way, as due to the withdrawal of the Dominion Armed Forces stationed there, the colony was left to the mercy of the zerg. Thanks to Raynor's Raiders however, 800 civilians were able to escape with their lives.Medievaldragon. 2009-08-17.Starcraft II Single Player Hands On: Books and Single Player Lore Synch. Blizzplanet. Accessed 2009-08-23. Post-Bellum Ultimately, the Queen of Blades was de-infested, bringing an end to the conflict.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: The Showdown. (in English). 2010. As events moved forward, the Combine began to play a greater role in Sector affairs.Brian Kindregan, Eldorian. 2010-10-28. Blizzcon: Interview with StarCraft 2 Lead Writer Brian Kindregan. Blizzplanet. Accessed 2010-10-31. Government ]] The Kel-Morian Combine is split into guilds. Each guild's leader is democratically elected, but once in that position, they are difficult to dislodge. The Terran Confederacy claimed the Combine's guild leaders were chosen through heredity, and family retainership was an acknowledged part of life.Dietz, William C. (April 6, 2010). StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. The Combine's population exceeds that of the Umojan Protectorate. Military During the Guild Wars, the Combine's military was organized along corporate lines. Soldiers such as rippers and outriders were used, though were effectively irregulars and were more poorly equipped than their Confederate counterparts. Like the soldiers' armor, Combine vehicles were effectively scrapped together from various sources and the Kelanis Shipping Guild functioned as an irregular, albeit effective, naval force. As per tradition stemming back to the days of Moria's first mining guilds, guild affiliation and specialization were inscribed on uniforms. The following ranks are known to have existed: *Overseer *Assistant Overseer *Foreman *Taskmaster pilots]] The Guild Wars nevertheless weakened the Combine's military. By the Great War, the Combine's militia color was green.Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. By the Brood War, its military was operating under more conventional lines.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Kel-Morian Combine (in English). 1998. While weaker than the Dominion, the Combine is stronger militarily than the Umojan Protectorate, though is still not the powerhouse it used to be in the Guild Wars. The Combine has its own Ghost Program.Chris Metzen, Micky Neilson, Blizzplanet. 2009-02-09. Chris Metzen & Micky Neilson Pocket Star Books Lore Q&A Video Interview. Blizzplanet. Accessed 2009-02-09. Units *Dominion Engineering Corps (co-opted by Dominion Armed Forces) *Hammer Securities *Snakehead Kommando Territories , the Combine's capital world]] The Combine currently only holds a couple of planets, having lost many in both the Guild Wars and Second Great War: Worlds *Boone *Chau Sara *Chanuk *Feronis *Gamma Dorian (at least temporarily, along with the Confederacy in the Guild Wars) *Moria (capital world) *Onuru Sigma (at least temporarily) *Raydin IV *Turaxis II (at least temporarily) *Uilila IV *Warrant VI Other *''Scrap Station'' *Meteor Station (at least temporarily) Former *Mar Sara *Meinhoff *Paladino Belt *Redstone III *Sonyan Notable Members Main article: Kel-Morian Combine personnel *General Mah Sakai *Foreman Oleg Benson *Overseer Hanz Brucker *Overseer Aaron Pax *Tavish Kerr (merchant) Notes The establishment date of the Kel-Morian Combine is disputed. According to miscellaneous images extracted from ''StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the Combine was established in 2376.2010-02-28, StarCraft II Beta Game Images. StarCraft Legacy, accessed on 2010-03-28 This date contradicts with the one provided in the timeline of StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils, which lists the Combine's founding as being in 2485.April 6, 2010. "Timeline". StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). pp. 311 - 323. ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. However, that timestamp is contradicted by I, Mengsk. which doesn't state when the Combine was founded, but has it active as early as 2478.McNeill, Graham (December 30, 2008). StarCraft: I, Mengsk. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-1-4165-5083-9. References Kel-Morian Combine